


National Treasure: My Version

by IziWilson76



Category: National Treasure (Movies)
Genre: Ben's daughter - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-13 01:15:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9100027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IziWilson76/pseuds/IziWilson76





	1. Chapter 1

Rosa Parks Gates or Rose for short was sitting quietly with her fair hair tucked in her snow cap. "I was thinking about Henson and Peary, crossing this kind of terrain with nothing more than dog sleds and on foot, can you imagine that?" asked her father, Benjamin Franklin Gates to his team mates. "Its extraordinary.'' replied his accomplice, Ian Howe. "Yes, history, it's a real party isn't it?" Rose muttered under her breath. "I heard that." said Ben. "Are we getting closer?" asked Ben. "Assuming Ben's theory is correct and my tracking model's accurate, we should be getting _very_ close. Don't go by me, I broke a shoelace this morning." replied Riley Poole. "And what is that supposed to mean, Wise Guy?" asked Rose. "FYI, it happens to be a very bad omen." replied Riley. "Should we turn around and go home?" asked a sarcastic Ian. "I say we just pull over to the North Atlantic and toss him there, to get rid of his wise-guyness." said Rose. Everyone chuckled. "Ha-ha, very funny." said Riley. "Riley, you're not missing that little windowless cubicle we found you in are you?" asked Ben. "No no, absolutely not." said Riley. As soon as he stopped speaking, the monitor beeped, indicating that they were close to what Roses' father identified as the first clue, the lost ship, " _Charlotte_ " from the clue, " _the secret lies with Charlotte_." They stopped their snow vans and got out. "Why are we stopping? I thought we were looking for a ship." said Sean. Sean was a "right hand man" of Ian. "I don't see any ship." said Viktor, also another one of Ian's goons. "She's out there." said Ben in his "adventurous voice."

They spread out, each person with a metal detector. But every one of them was beeping at the same rate, which meant no luck. "Look, this is a waste of time, how could a ship wind out way out here?" asked Viktor. "Well, I'm no expert, but, it could be that the hydrothermic properties of this region produce hurricane-force ice storms that caused the ocean to freeze and then, melt and refreeze resulting in a semisolid migrating land mass that would land a ship right around here." replied Riley. Rose was searching all over, thinking about her late mother, Harriet Gates. She still couldn't believe she had to be there in that car accident. It seemed like she was always the same terrified little girl that was always getting picked on in school, which was the reason for a benefit of being in the Gates family, homeschooling. "I found it! I found _Charlotte_!" shouted Ben. Rose and the rest of the team hurried to her father.

All of the team got their snowmobiles, to shove aside the snow and Rose helped the team uncover the snow from the ship. 2 hours later, Ben turned to Ian, who was on the top the ship. "2 years ago if you hadn't shown up, hadn't believed the treasure was real, I don't know if we would have ever found _Charlotte_." said Ben. "You would have found it, I have no doubt." replied Ian. "Yeah, with your, big brain and all." popped Rose. "That's why I didn't think you were as crazy as everyone said." Ian supported Rose. "We're just as relieved that I'm not as crazy as everyone said. Or said my dad was. Or my granddad. Or my great-granddad. Or at least my own daughter!" remarked Ben. "Okay! Let's go!" announced Ben. "Let's go find some treasure." retorted Ian. "Yeah! Let's bring back _something_ good!" exclaimed Rose.

As they explored the inside of the ship, even the thought of going inside a 200-something year old ship gave her the shivers. Everything was frozen, even the chairs. When she reached to pick up what used to be a fork, it broke down instantly. "Don't. Touch. _Anything._ " said Ben in a serious tone. "I'll try." muttered Rose. When they entered the sailors' quarters, she saw a few frozen bodies in hammocks. "Oh, GOD!" she heard Riley whimper. "You handled _that_ well, Wise Guy." said Rose. "This is it." said Ben. "It's the cargo hold." He opened the door easily, and as they went, Rose expected to find something interesting, but instead found ice, snow, barrels and coldness.

"Do you think it's in the barrels?" asked Riley. Everybody went to a separate barrel and as they opened them, a black powder came out. "Ian, what is this pile of ash?" asked Rose. "It's not a pile of ash, Rose" retorted Ian coldly. "It's gunpowder." Rose shuffled to the dead body of what supposedly, was the captain of the crew. His frozen body was still clutching a barrel. "Of all the barrels, why would the captain guard this specific one?" Rose thought to herself. She picked up the captains fingers, each lift shouting to her, "Ok. Gross." She opened the barrel, hoping to find something, other than gunpowder, and she did, coming across a brown package. "Guys! Lookie what I found!" announced Rose. As everyone scurried to her, she unwrapped the package, revealing a gold and black box, with strange symbols on the lid. She opened the box with extreme caution, hoping the thing would not break. Luckily, not only did she not break it, she found some kind of ancient pipe.

"Do you guys know what this is?" asked Rose, interestingly. "Is it a billion-dollar pipe?" retorted Riley, lamely. Rose gave him a shove in the arm. "It's a meerschaum pipe." answered Ian. "Wow that is beautiful." "Look at the intricacy of the scrollwork on the stem." said Ben. "Is it a million-dollar pipe?" asked Riley. "No it's a clue." retorted Ben. "Let me see that." We're one step closer to the treasure gentlemen." announced Rose. "I thought you said the treasure would be on the _Charlotte_." said Ian. "No, ' _the secret lies with Charlotte_ '." replied Ben. "I said 'it could be here'." He whipped up a pocket knife, and cut his thumb, oozing blood. He spread his blood on the scrollwork and put it on a piece of paper. "Here's a Band-Aid." offered Rose. "Thanks." he replied, handing her the book. "It's Templar symbols." Rose muttered under her breath. " _The legend writ, the stain effected. The key in Silence undetected. Fifty-five in iron pen. can't offend_." announced Rose. "It's a riddle." supported Ben. "No kidding." mumbled Rose. "I need to think."

"The legend writ, the stain affected'. What legend?" muttered Ben. "There's the legend of the Templar Treasure; the stain affects the legend, how? 'The key in Silence undetected. Wait. The legend and the key… Now there's something. A map. Maps have legends, maps have keys. It's a map, an invisible map so now..."

"Wait a minute. What do you mean 'invisible'- 'an invisible map'? interrupted Ian.

"The stain affected' could refer to a dye or a reagent used to bring a certain result." answered Ben. "Combined with 'The key in Silence undetected,' the implication is that the effect is to make what was undetectable detectable." "Unless… continued Ben. 'The key in Silence' could be…"

"Prison." piped up Shaw. There was an awkward moment of silence until Mr. Wise Guy showed up.

"Albuquerque." piped up Riley. "See, I can do it too. Snorkel." Rose giggled. She always loved Riley's wise cracks. It made her feel like her times of trouble had a little sunshine from the so-called 'Mr. Riley Poole of Knowledge'. "That's where the map is." said Shaw. "Like he said, 'Fifty-five' in iron pen, 'iron pen' is a prison." "Or it could be, since the primary writing medium of the time was iron gall ink," said Rose. "The pen is… just a pen. But then why not say simply a pen, why say 'iron pen'"? "Cause it's a prison" mumbled Shaw. "Wait a minute. 'Iron pen- the 'iron' does not emphasize the ink in the pen." announced Ben. "It describes _**what**_ was penned. It was 'iron'; it was firm, and adamant. It was resolved!" exclaimed Ben. "It was resolved." said Rose. "Mr. Matlack can't offend. Timothy Matlack was the official scribe of the Continental Congress. Calligrapher, not writer. And to make sure he could not offend or harm the map, it was put on the back of a _resolution_ that he transcribed, a _resolution_ , which 55 men signed." And then it dawned upon her, "The Declaration of Independence."

There was a moment of "wows" in the room. It made perfect sense to everyone. "Smart chick." she heard Shaw mutter. "Nice one, girl." said Ben. "Keep practicing and maybe you'll get it when you're your dads' age." joked Riley. "But come on there is no invisible map on the back of the Declaration of Independence."

"That's quite clever really." said Ian. "A document of that importance would ensure the map's survival. And you said there were several Mason's signatures on it, yeah?" "Yeah." replied Ben. "Nine, for sure." "We'll have to arrange a way to examine it."

"As if **that's** gonna happen." said Rose. "Rose is right." supported Ben. "This is one of the most important documents in history, they're not just gonna let us, waltz in there and run chemical tests on it." "Then what do you propose we do?" asked Ian. "I don't know!" exclaimed Ben. "Anybody got any bright ideas?" asked Rose. "We could borrow it." said Ian. "Steal it?" Ben asked. "I don't think so." "Ben." Ian replied. "The treasure of the Knights Templar is the treasure of all treasures." "Oh, I didn't know that, really." "Look Ben, I understand your bitterness, I really do." continued Ian. "You spent your entire life searching for this treasure only to have the respected historical community treat you and your family with mockery and contempt. I mean, look at poor Rose, your own daughter. She's been picked on by the other kids since preschool, and by now she must be sick of it."

What Ian said was true. Rose had been bullied by everyone at school, especially the teachers. Normally a guidance counselor would help them, but every time she tried to talk to somebody, they would just dismiss her because they thought she was crazy. By the time she reached 6th grade, Ben decided to pull her out of school. Surprisingly the principal told him that he totally agreed. He told him that the 12 year old was a bad example for the other children, simply because of her ancestors. She never set foot into a school building again. "You two should be able to rub this treasure in their arrogant faces, and I want you both to have the chance to do that." "How?" asked Ben confusedly. "We all have our areas of expertise. You don't think mine are limited to writing checks, do you? In another life, I arranged a number of operations of… questionable legality. "I'd take his word for it if I were you." said Shaw, coldly. "So don't worry, I'll make all the arrangements." "No." said Ben. "I really need your help here." Ian's voice sounded like a child trying to talk his parents into letting him eat candy for dinner.

"Ian… I'm not gonna let you steal the Declaration of Independence." Rose nodded to her father's courage. "Ok." Ian sounded like he had given up. "From this point on, all you're going to be is a hindrance." At that moment, Shaw pointed a gun, and Roses' face turned pale. "What are you going to do? You gonna shoot me Shaw?" Ben's voice became tense. "Well the fact is, you can't shoot me, there's more to the riddle, information _you_ don't have, _I_ do. I'm the only one who can figure it out and you know that." "He's bluffing." muttered Shaw."We played poker together Ian, you know I can't bluff." responded Ben. "Tell me what I need to know Ben. Or I'll shoot your daughter." said Ian, while Shaw pointed his gun at Rose. "If you shoot her, it will be the last thing you do." Roses' father's tone became the 'serious father' tone. "Fine then, I'll just shoot your friend." said Ian. Shaw pointed the gun at Riley who cried, "Hey!" "Quiet Riley" exclaimed Ian. "Your jobs finished here." At that moment, Rose pulled out a flare from her pocket and lighted it. "Look at where you're standing boys." declared Rose. "All of that gunpowder. You shoot my father, Riley, or _moi_ , I drop this, and we all go up."

"Rose..." Riley and Ben said sternly. "What happens when the flare burns out?" asked Ian coldly. "Tell your father to inform me on what I need to know." That's when Rose decided that she didn't have a choice. "You need to know… if Shaw can catch!" She threw the flare down, thinking, _Don't worry mother. Soon, I'll be joining you_. But in a matter of nanoseconds, Ian caught the flare. "Nice try though." But his hand erupted in flames, dropping the flare. _Oh wow, so not good_. Rose thought.

As soon as the flames touched the ground, the fire started to spread, causing Ben to grab Rose away. "Get out Shaw!" she heard Ian shout. For a moment there was silence, but then the fire roared up at the door. "Fool!" she heard Ian yell. Rose stomped her feet on the ground until something sounded hollow. "Guys, get over here!" shouted Rose. Ben and Riley scurried to Rose and she opened the cellar door. "What is this?" asked Riley. "Smugglers hold!" replied Ben. "Get in!" The air around her was getting smoky, making it hard for Rose to breathe, since she does have asthma. "Get down!" yelled Ben. As he was talking, there was a loud slamming noise and a loud ka-boom.

Ben rose away from Rose, giving her a chance to breathe. "Is everyone ok?" he asked looking at Rose. "I'm fine, shaken, but fine." "Oh, thank God." Ben sighed with relief, pulling her into a squeeze hug and then kissing her cheek. "Riley, you ok?" asked Rose. "Yeah, I'm good." Riley replied. "Now. That. Is. Dangerous." Rose said. They stood out into the clearing, feeling shaky. Anyway we can get home?" asked Rose. "There's an Inuit village about 9 miles east from here." replied Ben. "It's popular with bush pilots." "All right. Now what are we gonna do?" asked Riley. "Start making our way back home." answered Ben. "No, no I meant about Ian. He's gonna steal the Declaration of Independence, Ben."

"We stop him." Ben said in his 'adventurous tone'.


	2. Chapter 2

For Rose, Washington DC was a city full of possibilities. There could be adventure in the National Archives, the Smithsonian Museum, and even the White House. It didn't look like it, but there could be. Even though she never liked to admit it, she did have a taste for adventure. She was sitting in her father's car reading a book about The American Revolution. Ben and Riley went into the J. Edgar Hoover Building, also known as: FBI HQ. She told her father to let her stay in the car, because apparently 12 ½ year olds who reside in Washington DC are considered "amateur hooligans" especially for a descendent of Thomas Gates.

As she stopped at the 13th chapter of her history book, she gazed out the window, she saw her father and Riley leave the building and they got into the car. "Is it really so hard to believe that someone's gonna try to steal the Declaration of Independence?" Riley asked, with his tone sounding like their talk with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security backfired a little badly. "Well considering today's security tech, I'd say the odds are in their hands." replied Rose. "The FBI gets about 10,000 tips a week." said Ben. "They're not gonna worry about something they're sure is safe." "But anyone that can do anything is gonna think we're crazy." Riley spoke. "Anyone crazy enough to believe us isn't gonna want to help." "We don't need someone crazy, if we're one step shorter than crazy, what do you get?"

"Obsessed" Riley stated.

"Eccentric?" guessed Rose.

"Close, passionate." answered Ben. "Not to be Debbie Downer here but I don't really see a person like that." said Rose. "As far as I can see Ian's still one step ahead of the game with his goonies." "Don't you worry, my little girl." replied Ben. "I have just what the doctor ordered." As soon as he stopped speaking, she turned red as a tomato. She **hated** being called "little girl". It always made her feel small.

They arrived at the National Archives. The trio sat outside in the waiting room. Ben had arranged to see an expert of documents. He was hoping for her to get a sense of the situation at hand.

"Excuse me." muttered Ben, as he reached for a pamphlet. It read "National Archives, 70th anniversary gala."

"Dr. Chase can see you now, Mr. Brown." said an assistant. "Thank you." said Ben. "Mr. Brown?" asked Riley, suspiciously. "Family name doesn't get a lot of respect in the academic community." muttered Ben. "Oh you think?" Rose supported Ben. "Huh, being kept down by the man." said Riley. But when they got to the door, they saw that this "man" was actually a woman, talking to someone on the phone. "A very cute man." Riley stood corrected. Ben was speechless. His mouth was wide open.

"Thank you." Rose heard Dr. Chase say. "Good afternoon gentlemen." she greeted them. "Abigail Chase." "Paul Brown." Ben introduced himself. "This is my daughter, Christine." "'Sup?" she asked her. "Hello, nice to meet you" said Abigail. "Aren't you supposed to be in school?" She asked suspiciously. Rose glanced over to Ben's watch. It said 3:00. She then had an idea. If her school had a half day right now that means school would be over at 1:00. "It's a half day." Rose replied quickly. "I see." Abigail said. "And who might you be?" Abigail asked turning over to Riley. "Bill" Riley retorted. "Nice to meet you Bill." How may I help you?"

"Your accent. Pennsylvania Dutch?" asked Ben. "Saxony German." "Oh!"

"Ten bucks if he's flirting with her." whispered Rose. "You're on." replied Riley. "What was that?" asked Ben, sounding like the serious father he sometimes was. "Nothing." Riley and Rose replied quickly. "Wait you're not an American?" asked Riley, confused. "Oh I am an American, I just wasn't born here." answered Abigail. "Please don't touch that!"

Ben was leaning toward a case of brass buttons. "Sorry. Neat collection. George Washington's campaign buttons." Ben said interestingly. "You're missing the 1789 inaugural, though. I found one once." "That's very fortunate for you." It seemed that Ben was trying to find a common ground with this lady. Rose laid out her palm and Riley handed her the 10 dollar bill.

"Now you told my assistant that this was an urgent matter." Abigail asked, trying to stay back on topic. "Ah, yes ma'am." said Ben. "Well, I'm going to get straight to the point." "Oh boy, here it comes." mumbled Rose.

"Someone's gonna steal the Declaration of Independence."

At that moment, Abigail's face turned pale. "It's true." piped up Riley. "I think I'd better put you gentlemen in touch with the FBI." said Abigail. "We've already been to the FBI." said Rose. "And?" "They assured us that the Declaration cannot not possibly be stolen." said Riley. "They're right."

"My friend and I are less certain, however, if we were given the privilege of examining the document… we would be able to tell you for certain if it were actually in any danger." announced Ben.

"What do you think you're going to find?" asked Abigail. "We believe that there's an… encryption… on the back." "An encryption like a code?" "Yes ma'am." "Of what?" "Uh… a cartograph." "A map?" "Yes ma'am." "A map of what?" "The location of… hidden items of historic and intrinsic value." "A treasure map?"

"That's pretty much where we lost the FBI." said Rose.

"You're treasure hunters, aren't you?" asked Abigail. 'We're more like, 'treasure protectors'. said Ben. "I prefer 'treasure detectives'." said Rose. "Mr. Brown, I have personally seen the back of the Declaration of Independence and I promise you, the only thing on there is a notation that reads, 'Original Declaration of Independence'

"Independence, dated 4 of July, 1776, yes ma'am." said Ben as he finished the quote.

"But no map."

There was an awkward silence. The trio was flabbergasted and Dr. Chase was dumbfounded. "It's invisible." Ben said meekly. "Oh, right." Abigail's voice took a turn of understanding.

"And, that is where we lost the Department of Homeland Security." said Riley.

"What lead you to assume, there's this invisible map?" asked Abigail with curiosity. "We found an engraving on a 200 year old stem pipe." answered Ben.

"Owned by Freemasons." Riley and Rose said in unison.

"May I see the pipe?" asked Abigail. Roses' face turned white as a sheet. _"I did not see_ this _one coming"_ Rose thought. "We don't have it." Riley stammered. "Did Bigfoot take it?" asked Dr. Chase quietly. "It was nice meeting you." Ben said, as he rose to leave. "Nice to meet you too." replied Abigail. "That's a new record." Rose muttered under her breath. "You know, that really is a nice collection." said Ben. Must have taken you a long time to, hunt down all of that history."

"Somebody's got a cru-ush, somebody has a cru-ush!" sang Rose. "Kids" said Ben and Abigail.

The trio went to the famous National Archives document display, where the Declaration, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights lay out for everyone to see.

"If it's any consolation you had me convinced." said Riley. "It's not." said Ben. "I was thinking, what if we go public, plaster the story all over the Internet? It's not like; we have our reputations to worry about. Although, I don't think that's exactly gonna scare Ian away."

"180 years of searching and I'm 3 feet away." said Ben, proudly. He was standing at the Declaration in its display case. "Of all the ideas that became the United States," he said, turning to Rose. "There's a line here that's at the heart of all the others." " _But when a long train of abuses_ _and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty to throw off such government, and provide new guards for their future security._ " Ben read. Rose was speechless. "People don't talk that way anymore." she said. "Beautiful." said Riley. "No idea what you said."

"It means if there's something wrong, those who have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action." answered Ben.  
"Well Dad, if that's the case, what's our next move?" asked Rose.

Ben knelt and put his hand on his daughter and looked in her eyes, those big, beautiful brown eyes that she got from her mother. "I'll tell you what our next move is, my little baby." Rose growled. Not only did she hate being called "Little girl", she _**hated**_ being called "little baby, or even LB." "Sorry Rose." said Ben. "Keep going." said Rose. Ben sighed. "I'm gonna steal it." Ben said as he rose up. "What?" Riley asked, conservatively.

"I'm gonna steal the Declaration of Independence."

"Please tell me he did **not** just say that." Rose said to Riley. "I wish I could." replied Riley. They saw Ben leave the exhibit, and they followed him.

"Uh… Ben?"

"Dad?"


	3. Chapter 3

The trio sat outside of the Lincoln Memorial. Rose was shocked to hear that someone as kind as sweet of a father he was, would try to do an act so outrageous, it was nearly impossible.

"This is… huge." Rose said with concern. "Prison. Crazy. Huge. You do realize that one of us is gonna to end up in prison. You do know that right?"

"Yeah probably." replied Ben. "Yeah probably? Try say 'yeah definitely!"

"Doesn't that bother most people?" Riley said meekly. "And how exactly do you plan on doing this?" asked Rose. "Ian's going to try to steal it." explained Ben. "And if he succeeds, he'll destroy the Declaration. The fact is, the only way to protect the Declaration, **is** to steal it. It's upside down, to be precise. I don't think that there's a choice."

"Ben, for God's sake, it's like… stealing a National Monument." said Riley. "It's like stealing **Mom**." supported Rose, pointing to a picture of her mother in her locket. "It can't be done, not that it shouldn't done, it **can't** be done! Let me prove it to you."

The team then went to the Library of Congress. The amount of books dazzled Rose. There were not simply 100 books, but **scores** of books.

"Ok, gentlemen pay attention." announce Rose. "I have brought you two to the Library of Congress. 'Why?' you may ask? Because it happens to be the biggest library in the world. Over 20 million books, and they're all saying the same, exact thing. 'Listen to your daughter'."

"And Riley." piped up Riley.

Rose groaned. "And Riley."

"What we have here my friends," continued Riley, "is an entire layout of the Archives. You've got uh, construction orders. Phone lines. Water and sewage. It's all here."

"Now, when the Declaration is on display," said Riley, as he showed Ben a book of security for document like the Declaration. "It is surrounded by guards, and video monitors, and little families form Iowa, and little kids on their 8th grade field trip. An beneath an inch of bulletproof glass, is an army of sensors and heat monitors, that will go off, should someone gets to close with a high fever. Now, when it is **not** on display, it is lowered into a 4ft. thick concrete, steel plated vault. That happens to be equipped with an electronic combination lock and biometric access/denial systems."

"Like I said" Rose spoke. "Not only is it wrong, in a way, it's **impossible**."

"You know Thomas Edison nearly tried and failed 2,000 times to develop the carbonized cotton thread filament for the incandescent light bulb." explained Ben.

"What does Edison have to do with any of this?" asked Rose, confused.

"Simple. When asked about it he said, 'I didn't fail. I found out 2,000 ways how not to make a light bulb.' But he needed only one way to make it work." answered Ben.

He put out a book with a picture that had the words "Preservation Room" on them.

"The Preservation Room." announced Ben. "Enjoy go ahead. Do you know what the Preservation Room is for?"

"Delicious jams and jellies?" answered Riley, lamely.

"Mummifying wise guys like Riley?" asked Rose.

"No and no. That is where they keep, clean and maintain all of the documents when they're not on display or in the vault." explained Ben. "Now, when the case needs work, they take it out of the display area, all of the way to the preservation room. The best time for Ian or us to steal it, would be during the Gala this weekend. But we'll make our way to the Preservation Room, where there's **much less** security."

Rose heard Riley mumble, "Huh, Well, if Ian… preservation… the Gala." He looked up to Ben with utter amazement. "This might be possible after all."

"It might." said Ben.

"Dad, have I ever told you how much of an awesome evil genius you are?" asked Rose "No you haven't." chuckled Ben "Cause I am seriously considering it. Count me in."

"Look, Rose." said Ben, starting to sound like the overly protective father he always was. Could Rose blame him? Ever since the car accident that killed her mother, her father has been keeping a close eye on her to the point of total parental embarrassment. "You're too young. I'm not going to let you do this."

"Look Dad, Ian **has** to be stopped. If the FBI's not going to do anything about it, **I** will, with your help **or** without it. Besides, I'm a total expert when it comes to sticking to the shadows."

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Riley. "She means, she can help me in this heist." answered Ben

"Like father, like daughter." said Riley. "Is there anything more beautiful?"

"Let's get started."


	4. Chapter 4

Riley's POV

Riley got out of the van, carrying his gear with him. He wasn't going to catch a train. Instead, he was going to perform Phase 1: Side A of Operation: Declaration Situation. It was all part of Roses' and Ben's carefully thought out plan. He wasn't surprised that the Gates had come up with it. Benjamin Franklin Gates did have an IQ of 150, and Rosa Parks Gates had an IQ of 130. It was a really impressive IQ for a 12 year old child. She **was** a Gates after all. What Riley's task was, involved hacking into the National Archives surveillance system, in a very complex way. While everyone was busy and trains were passing by, he stepped quickly into a closet that was planted near the power station of the Archives. He got out a drill and cut a hole in a pole. He then pushed up black and yellow wires, which according to his research, would give him access, if he could find the camera wiring. He turned on his computer and he saw the wiring for the cameras.

"And we are in." muttered Riley. He pushed the wires up to cables. He knew full well that these were not just any specific cable; these were the cables that were hooked up to the surveillance cameras.

"Hello." Riley spoke in a British accent. He hooked up his wires to the vault hallway camera and took a photo recording of it with his computer. He then used his remote control to make the wires connect to the cable for the preservation room and took another recording photo.

"That's what I want." mumbled Riley.

He then left his remote control in the room and left the subway. He then connected his computer to a blue wire and turned on his subway work.

"How's it going?' asked Rose, through his comm link. "Phase 1: Side A, is complete." replied Riley. "Game on."

"Nice Riley.' said Rose. "Dad, proceed with Phase 1: Side B."

"What's Phase 1: Side C?' asked Riley. "It's for me to know and you to find out." retorted Rose.

Ben's POV

Ben got out of the microwave, his favorite food: lasagna. He got placed away digital scans of the original Silence Dogood letters in a drawer. He looked at a book on employment. His job was to try to sneak in using a fake ID. But for now, he was supposed to learn how employment worked in special events, like the Gala. Rose was helping him sneak in. She did talk him into helping her. She reminded him of Harriet so much, even looking at her sleeping, made him feel a knife in the heart. He could even remember her words, when he first told her about the Templar Treasure, when she was just a 10 year old: "Mom, I won't let you down. I promise." Rose seemed like after all these years, since the accident, she was **determined** to keep that promise.

Roses' POV

Rose stood outside of a building, pretending to be a tourist from Montana. She felt like she was one of the Founding Fathers, because they went to such great lengths to plan America's freedom from the British. Suddenly, she spotted a janitor talking to some people. _Perfect._ thought Rose. _Now the only thing left to do is to steal his look._ She zoomed in her camera on the ID badge and took several shots, for backup. She then walked away slowly and called for a taxi.

"I'm home!" announced Rose. "Did you get it?" asked Ben. "You bet I did." replied Rose.

She then hooked up the camera to a computer and switched the original photo with a photo of her dad's. "I'll buy that." Her father said out of the blue. "Dad, seriously, must you always pry your eyes over your daughter?" "It's a father thing. You wouldn't understand." "Good, 'cause I'm not gonna."

Rose then dialed Riley's number on her cell phone. "Yeah?" asked Riley on the phone. "Phase 1 Side: B is complete." said Rose. "Phase 1: Side C is now in progress."

"Why do you have split this up in specific parts?" asked Ben. "Because, A, this isn't as easy as it looks. And B, we have to make sure that we get out of this operation alive and not in jail. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get a genetic sample from Dr. Chase."

"How are you going to get a DNA sample from her? Besides, in case you have forgotten, she's a trusted employee of one of the most important museums in the United States. She's not just going to hand a genetic sample over to you, especially after our 'pep talk' with her."

"Don't you worry Dad. She won't even know it, 'cause she won't see it." Rose then flashed her smile. It was a smile filled with mischievous yet, evil joy.

Riley's POV

Riley flashed green laser on a thermometer and the temperature started to rise in a matter of nanoseconds to 120 degrees. "Cool." Riley muttered. Just what the doctor ordered.

Roses' POV

Rose mixed a solution of yellow-green powder. She found this recipe online that said if made correctly; it could create a dye that could hide messages. It was probably the same dye that the Freemasons used to hide the map. After she was done mixing, she dipped her fingers into the cup and drew something on the table. She shined a special flashlight that was made to see invisible ink, on the table. To her relief, her idea worked. She then dipped the George Washington button that Dr. Chase was missing from her collection and then put it carefully "Sucker." said Rose.

"Dad, are you done with the letter?" asked Rose. "Yeah why, and by the way, where's my George Washington campaign button?" asked Ben. "I have to show you something." Ben hurried to the living room and handed Rose the letter. She then handed the flashlight to him and he turned it on over the table. He saw what Rose had drawn: A smiley face and a notation that said, "It's on your 1789 button as well, so don't freak out and **don't** touch it."

"Cute." said Ben.

Meanwhile, at the National Archives in Dr. Chases' office

Abigail's POV

"This just came for you." said Abigail's eager assistant, as she handed the gift sent by Rose. "I hope it's not from Stan." commented Abigail, opening the note.

" _For the woman who has everything else. Thanks for listening. Paul Brown._ " Abigail read. She chuckled. When she opened the little read box, she found the actual missing 1789 George Washington campaign button. She was speechless. It looked like 'Mr. Brown' was not kidding when he said he found it. She glanced over to her collection and back to the button. Her collection was finally complete.

But what she didn't know was that she had just given the team the vital genetic sample used to get into the most secure places, like the Preservation Room.

Roses' POV

There was only 2 days left until the Gala. 2 days to complete Operation: Declaration Situation. 2 days to prevent a cold-blooded tyrant from gaining access to the greatest treasure, no one but the Gates and Riley believed existed. She waited until it was nighttime. That is when she would set up her gear, for Phase 2: Side A. During the heist, she would sneak in through the air vents and jump on the elevator, and get in through the little door on the top. It's where her dad would meet her after he got the thumbprint from Dr. Chase. She didn't tell her father about this, because the first thing he would have said was "It's too dangerous." So she had planned a little surprise. Riley's van pulled up on Pennsylvania Avenue and Rose got out. Riley informed her that he had tampered with the cameras on the roof, enabling her to take a photograph of the roof of the Archives and tape it on the camera. She ran near the side wall and got out her climbing gear.

"Seriously?" asked Riley, through her comm link. "You're planning on climbing the National Archives using mini toilet plunger cups attached top your hands and feet?"

"It's either this, or the sound of the clanging metal of either my climbing spikes or my grappling hook. You choose."

"Touché."

She climbed all the way to the roof and took a photo of the surroundings that each camera was capturing. There were about 15 cameras. 15 photos were all that Rose needed. She then taped each taken photo with duct tape.

"Good job Rose." said Riley, monotone.

"Oh I'm not done yet." said Rose, putting on her evil smile. "What are you doing?" "Oh a little conspiracy." "This wasn't part of Phase 2: Side A." "That's the point." "And by the way, why haven't you told me or Ben about Phase 2: Side B?" "Because, what's the first thing my father's going to say if he found out about it?" "'It's too dangerous?'" "Bingo!" "What it Phase 2: Side B?" "Watch and learn."

She then pulled out a harness, black rope, and a belay device from her backpack. Her job in this part of the plan was to whip up a climbing device that would lower her into the air ducts. Once she was finished, she lowered herself to the bottom. It was only a 5 ft. drop down. Once she was down, she set up the elevation ropes. It was a very complicated process. Luckily, she had an IQ of 130, so it wouldn't take her too long. Once she was done, she elevated herself up and down thrice as a test. "Got it." said Rose to Riley through her comm link. "Got what?" asked Riley, confused. "I'll give you the whole scoop on the way back." She then left the device on the roof and climbed down and headed straight for the van.

'You did WHAT?" exclaimed Riley. "Hey, you want me to help you out on this or what?" "But what's your dad gonna say?" "He's not going to know, 'cause we're not gonna tell him." "And what if I do?"

Rose then gave Riley an ear twist, something that was so painful that an unlucky soul would not enjoy, especially Riley

"Ok! Ok! I won't say a word! I surrender! Uncle!"

"Good."

As they drove back, Rose put on her smile of evilness.

The next day…

The team pulled up to the National Archives. It was time for the final phase of preparations: Phase 2: Side C. The plan for this job was to make it seem like it was just another sunny Friday at the National Archives. Ben and Rose peered over the Declaration with Riley behind them looking around, pretending he didn't know the Gates … or so it seemed. "You ready?" asked Ben. "If there's one thing a Gates has, its show timing."

"Hey Dad, should we get a family photo of us next to the Declaration?" asked Rose loud enough for Riley to hear them. "Sure. Hey, uh what's your name?" asked Ben. "What is going on?" whispered Riley. "Don't fight the acting, you'll thank me later." replied Ben softly. "My names Riley." said Riley, going with the acting. "Riley, could you take a photo of me and my dad next to the Declaration?"

"Sure." "Here, take my camera and press the green button."

"Say cheese." said Riley. Ben and Rose smiled while Riley aimed a green light that contained the temperature of 120 degrees at the heat sensor in the case. "Thank you." said Ben. "You're welcome." replied Riley. As Ben and Rose left the Archives, Rose flipped out her phone and dialed Riley's number. _Meet us in the van in 2 minutes._ texted Rose.

Abigail's POV

The phone rang while she was typing something on the computer. "What could it be this time?" wondered Abigail. "Abigail Chase." She said when she picked up the phone.

As she headed into the Vault Hallway, she wondered if it was some malfunction, based on what she heard during her pep talk with the Archivist. When she got to the Preservation Room door, a computer popped out of the wall, after she pressed a button. She then typed a code, unknowingly using her fingers with the invisible ink solution that Rose had concocted. As soon as the computer read "Access Granted." the bronze door opened automatically. "Hey Mike." she said cheerfully.

The Team's POV

"Ok. What was that about?" asked Riley confused. "We needed to look like tourists, so acted like them." replied Ben, moderately. "Besides, it's not really that personal with going with 2 guys, I just needed you to feed the bait." Rose said smugly. "Is there a fish involved?" asked Riley. Rose rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Just open your computer."

Riley then pulled up the camera show on his computer. The left side was the recording of the hallway, and the right was what was actually going on.

"Hallway secure." spoke a guard in the computer.

"What have you got?" The team heard Abigail. "The heat sensor went up in the Declaration frame." replied a guard. "Run full diagnostics, then I want them all changed out."

"Oh look, it's your girlfriend Dad." piped up Rose. "She's not my girlfriend." mumbled Ben, red as a tomato. "Sure. Big softie." whispered Rose.

"Our evil plan is working." said Riley and Rose spoke in unison. "Jinx!" exclaimed Rose. "You owe me a soda."

" _Wonder how Ian's plan is working_." pondered Ben.

Meanwhile, at Ian's hideout.

Ian was looking over floor plans of the Archives. He was planning on getting in, using explosives, saws, and a Taser. Behind his office door, was his team working on explosives, weapons, and computer hacking. He could use some of Ben or Roses' smarts right now, but they were dead… or so it seemed to Ian


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Tonight was the big night. They could guarantee that the heist of the century could make great headlines. It was time to perform Phase 3: Side A of Operation: Declaration Situation. This whole complex plan was about to be complete. But what they didn't know was that the end of this plan would be just the beginning of one of the biggest adventures of their lives. It never was going to be easy but they had to "save" the Declaration. She had to make sure that her father could not find out about her part of the plan. She said that she was not feeling well and that she would stay with Riley with the computers... or so Ben thought. What she was really going to do was sneak in through the air vent and claw her way to the elevator shaft, where she would meet her dad. While, her dad was busy, she snuck in her backpack, a black jumpsuit, black combat boots, black gloves, and a black helmet. "Let's go." said Ben. Rose packed her bag and went into Riley's van. She hurried into the van and hid her stuff.

The Archives were filled with people. Limousines were in front and people dressed all fancy. At the side of Constitution Avenue, Riley's van pulled up. But Rose wasn't in the van.

"Where's Rose?" asked Ben, sternly. "Oh jeez." muttered Riley. Ben got out of the car and looked around. "Rose?" he called out.

"I'm fine Dad." chirped Rose. "Rosa Gates, where are you?" "I'm climbing the wall of the Archives as we speak." "WHAT?" "Dad, don't worry. Just get inside and I'll meet you in the elevator. And don't worry; I'm in ninja stealth mode."

"Riley, what's going on? Where's my daughter?" Ben asked as he peered into the van. "She has a little surprise for you. She'll be fine. Now, Ben, are you sure that we should…"Riley was cut off as soon as Ben closed the door. "Can both of you hear me?" "Yep." Rose spoke. "Unfortunately yeah." replied Riley. "We're all set."

Roses' POV

Rose then got to the ledge of the roof, and pulled herself up. She once saw in a spy movie, where FBI agents did some poses while doing spy stuff. She certainty wasn't going to do silly poses.

"Awesome." whispered Rose. Rose then walked to the air duct, where her device was still in place. She then put on her belay and slowly elevated herself down. She felt like a ninja as she crept her way into the air vents. It was a good thing she brought a blueprint of the Archive airways. Otherwise she would have gotten lost. It was also a good thing that she could move inside small spaces, since she was really skinny.

**Ben's POV**

Ben entered the men's room, feeling nervous. Not about the mission, but about his daughter. What if she got lost and disappeared? But a part of him told him that Rose was going to be fine and that if she was his daughter, there was nothing that she couldn't handle. He got out of his janitor suit and had already a tuxedo on.

"How do you look?" asked Riley through the earpiece. "Not bad." he replied. "Masel Tov."

**Meanwhile in Ian's ride…**

Ian's goons were readying their weapons: guns, explosives, and the whole 9 yards. He was ready. It was his destiny to have the treasure. Nothing would get in his way.

"This is it!" he declared. His team lowered into the shadows.

**Back at the party**

The party was summed up in one word: peaceful. Classical music was playing, everyone was well-mannered and well-dressed. Everything was in place… for now. "For you." said a voice behind Dr. Chase. "Oh Mr. Brown." said Abigail. "What are you doing here?"

"Is that your dream wife?" asked Rose. "How does she look?"

"I made a last-minute donation, a big one." Ben said, ignoring Roses' wisecrack. "Well, on that subject, thank you for your wonderful gift." "Oh, you did get it?" "Yes." Oh, thank you. "Normally I wouldn't accept something like that, but… I really wanted it."

"Come on Romeo, get out of there." said Riley through the comm link. "I have been thinking of what the engraving indicated on the, you know… the pipe that Bigfoot took." said Abigail.

"Hello." said a man next to Abigail. "Mr. Brown, this is my associate, Dr. Herbert." introduced Dr. Chase. "Pleasure to meet you." responded Ben. "Here, why don't you take that, so you can take that off his hands." said Ben as he switched glasses, taking the one Abigail touched.

"In case of a love emergency, my dad, a.k.a, the personnel flirtation device will be handy." Rose joked. "Nice" said Riley. "A toast, to high treason." announced Ben. Abigail and Dr. Herbert looked at him suspiciously. "That's what our Founding Fathers were committing, when they signed the Declaration. Had we lost the war, they would have been hanged, beheaded, drawn and quartered and, oh! Here's my favorite one: had their entrails cut out and burned!"

"Who says you don't know how to creep a girl to death?" piped up Rose.

"So." continued Ben. "Here's to the men who did what was considered wrong, in order to do, what they knew was right."

Ben then, drank his whole glass of champagne in one big gulp. "Well, good night."

"Good night." said Abigail and Dr. Herbert said in unison.

Dr. Chase couldn't put her finger on it but, there was something not right about this, 'Mr. Brown.'

Roses' POV

 _That had to have been the lamest grown-up chit-chats in the history of adult chit-chats. And I thought romantic comedies were lame._ thought Rose. That didn't stop her from finally reaching her destination at the elevator machine room. It was huge. A little dark, but huge. Humongous wires were attached to the elevator box. The only complication was that it was a 3 ft. drop from the air vent in where she was. The greater complication was that she had a massive fear of heights. She once went to Six Flags, New Jersey with her mom a few years ago. At first sight of Kingda Ka, with the 40 ft. drop in sequence with the people terrified screams, she immediately fainted. She saw that the huge wires were 2 ft. away from her. She would have to jump down, but to her, there was a 70% chance that she would get a concussion or die. She then took a deep breath and prepared herself for the jump of a lifetime. _Ok Rosa Parks Gates. This is no big deal, just a simple jump._ thought Rose. _Heck, if you miss, I'm sure the ground feels like marshmallows._ "Here goes." Without a doubt, she leaped from her comfort zone onto the elevator platform. "Sweet." she whispered. She then sat on the platform, next to the air shaft, and waited patiently for her father to finish his work.

"Phase 3: Side A is complete" said Ben, through her earpiece. "Commence Phase 3: Side B." she said

Ben's POV

This plan of theirs may work after all. He was on high alert for anyone giving him suspicious looks. For if he were found out, he would surely be sent to jail and his daughter would either be sent to a juvenile detention center, or be shipped off to a foster family in Who-knows-where. Either way, they would never have contact again. But for now, he needed to focus on sticking to the plan. He carefully held the vital glass, as he placed the other one on an unsuspecting waiter's tray. He then went into the men's room and set out his little chemistry set. He put the glass into a plastic Ziploc bag a couple of drops of Roses' solution on a cotton ball and sealed it.

"This had better work." said Riley. In a matter of seconds, purple smoke appeared inside the closed bag, revealing the fingerprints. "It's working." he said. "Unbelievable." supported Riley.

Ben then slipped on a plastic thumb glove and carefully stuck a finger print on his thumb.

"Phase 3: Side B is complete." proclaimed Ben. "All we have to do is get out of here alive and not in cuffs." said Rose. "In other words, commence Phase 3: Side C."

Ian's POV

There was a guard walking down the hallway. He was so easy to get. Shaw then got him with a Taser, which knocked him unconscious. The only thing they needed was his thumb print to open the door. "Second door, 90 seconds." Ian commanded. His boys then placed the unconscious guard's thumb on the scanner. Unbeknownst to him, Ben Gates was doing the same thing, except he was placing the fingerprint on the plastic thumb wrap. "Well done boys." said Ian proudly.

In the elevator…

"I'm in." said Ben. It was a good thing too. Rose was starting to get bored. She couldn't wait for the real fun to begin. Just as the elevator took off, she then slipped inside the air shaft and shut the door. Ben's jaw dropped the minute he saw her black suit. "Rose, was this your plan? To sneak in through the air vents, dressed like this?" asked Ben. "Yes, now whether you like it or not, I'm going to be helping you."

"Where are you?" asked Riley. "We're in the elevator." Ben answered. "Ok." continued Riley. "I'm going to turn off the surveillance cameras. Ready? In 5, 4, 3… now. Ben and Rose Gates. You are now the invisible family." At that moment, the duo arrived in the vault hallway. The guards monitoring the cameras in the control room didn't suspect a thing. Next to the Preservation Room's door, there was a computer slot. Ben was about to look for his flashlight, when Rose said, "Allow me." She took a small flashlight and shone it upon the keyboard. To their luck, there were fingerprints on the letters.

"Do you have the letters for the password?" asked Riley. "Yep." said Ben. "Hit me with it. What have you got?" "A, E, F, G, L, O, R, V, Y." "Anagrams being listed now. Ok top results: 'A glove fry, a very golf, Fargo levy, gravy floe, valey frog."

Just as Riley was speaking, Rose took a moment to think. She knew the password would have something to do with the name of something in American history. Pretty much all of Washington DC had a name from American history. But which one? Would it be from the American Revolution? Civil War? Or most recently, like the 9/11 attacks? But "valey frog" seemed to be familiar to her. Could it be? That's when it hit her.

"It's Valley Forge." Ben and Rose spoke in unison. "Valley Forge? I don't have that on my computer." Riley said confused. "It's Valley Forge. She pressed the E and L twice. Valley Forge was a turning point in the American Revolution." Ben explained. "Can I marry your brain?" asked Riley. "Shut up, Wise Guy." Rose muttered. Then the door opened automatically. The Preservation Room was very fascinating, yet a little boring to her. In the window cubicle laid the protected Declaration of Independence… for now.

 _Just like your creators, you're a thing of rare magnificence_. Rose thought as they began to un-screw the cases' screws. _It's a shame I have to document-nap you._ There were a lot of screws to work. During the process, Rose stopped to put next to the document case a fake rose with a note on it. "What is that? A love letter to the Archivist of the United States?" asked Ben. "It's more like an 'I'm sorry and please don't put us behind bars' type of note." she explained. "Besides it's my trademark." "Trademark?" "In a heist like this, having a name like, 'Rose' comes in handy."

"I lost my feed." said Riley said, suddenly. "What?!" exclaimed Rose and Ben in unison. "I lost my feed, guys! I don't know where anyone is I have nothing- Ben, I have nothing! Get out of there. Get out of there now." "We're taking the whole thing, we'll get it out in the elevator." said Ben. "What are you talking about? Is it heavy?" "How could this have happened?" asked Rose. "Probably one of Ian's buddies." retorted Ben. "Why do the bad guys always get the perfect time to ruin everything?" Rose complained. As they headed toward the elevator, a door opened behind them. To Ian's surprise the Gates were there… alive. "Gates." he said, surprised. "In the historic flesh." commented Rose. Suddenly, Shaw pulled a gun and began to draw fire. "Rose, get behind me!" Rose did as she was told. To their luck, the elevator opened, and Shaw was still shooting

"Are you still there?" asked Riley. "We're in the elevator." Ben said, as they finished getting the document out of its case and into a plastic wrap. "Ian's here." said Rose. There was a shooting." "I hate that guy." Rose heard Riley mumble. "Don't we all?" "Rose, get out back, the way you came from and meet me in Riley's car." said Ben. "Okay." replied Rose. "Give me a boost." As Ben gave her one, she opened the elevator shaft, climbed the walls with her suction cup climbing gear, and quickly made her way back through the air vents. She started to get worried about her father. What if he wouldn't make it? But right now, she had to focus on getting back to the van. But that's when she realized that she was really nervous about climbing _down_ so, she went to where the air vents led her to the nearest ventilation escape. After that she raced to the van.

"Phase 3: Side C of Declaration Situation is complete." Rose said out of the blue. "Where's Ben?" asked Riley. "He's still inside." "What could he be doing in there?" "I don't know. But he told me in the elevator, to get out and into here." "So, now we wait." "Apparently. I sure hope his little crush didn't get him bad."

But what Rose pondered about, as she paced in the van, was what would happen now that they have one of the pieces of America's historic puzzle? Where would they go? Who would be after them? Would they succeed in finding a simple treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence? If so how?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Abigail's POV

Abigail was on her way back from the ladies room, when she saw "Mr. Brown" make his way through the exit. _What is going on here? Something just doesn't add up about this Paul Brown._ Abigail thought. Curious, she followed him to a side exit.

Ben's POV

He had done it. He had just earned a 90% chance of scoring a one-way ticket to prison. It didn't matter right now. He needed to get out of there, and fast. He needed to get back to the van, without making a false move. "Rose, are you in the van?" he asked. "Yeah." she replied. "Good, I need you to prepare one of your 'trademarks.' I'll explain everything." "Ooooo-kay."

"Where are you?" asked Riley, in a musical tone. "Stop talking." piped up Ben, as he walked toward the car. "Start the van." As he opened the back door, Rose saw him and gave him a slight hug. "I am so glad you are not in cuffs." she whispered in joy. "Listen carefully." "Ok."

**Line Break.**

Riley's POV

He was glad to have what could possibly be his best friend back and kicking. He hadn't had a friend since he moved from Florida, where he was born, to Michigan, leaving his friends behind. It is there, as the new kid, where he became the official techno-master of Abbot Middle School at the start of 8th grade. His only friends were computers. He really hated his old job, in New York, where he spent all day making faxes in a confined cubicle. But now, the Gates duo were conversing, and he couldn't hear them. Just as he was about to ask what exactly was going on, he spotted the last person he would have expected, Abigail Chase. _This can't be good._ he thought.

"Uh, Ben, the, uhhh, mean, Declaration lady's behind you, and she doesn't look too happy."

Hearing Riley, Rose said, "Uh-oh." This is definitely the thing known as 'not good'".

Roses' POV

"Hey." Abigail said, out of the blue. Rose quickly ducked back into the van, to let her father do the talking. She then pressed her ear against the shut door. "Mr. Brown, what's going on?" she heard Dr. Chase say. "What's that?" "It's a souvenir." "Really?"

"Stop chatting, and get in the van." she heard Riley mutter.

"Well this hour can't get any more worse." Rose said.

Moments later, she heard the alarms go off at the Archives. _Oh God._ she thought. "And it just did."

"Oh my God, you did not?!" Abigail screamed through the door. "Security! Over here! Give me that!" "It's yours! Take it!"

No one's POV

While Dr. Chase was still screaming "Security! Security! Over here!" Ben had told Riley to leave her. Rose agreed. Besides, Abigail was starting to get on her nerves. But just when they were about to leave, a catering truck pulled up and a bunch of Ian's goons came out and started talking to her.

"Oh bad! Bad, bad, bad, bad!" Ben exclaimed, just as Dr. Chase was pulled into the van. At that moment, the driver began shooting when Ben got out of the car. "Crud!" cried Rose. She hoped no one was hurt. She then saw a bullet strike a close up mirror. _Warning, idiots are closer than they appear._ she thought. Rose then scrambled out and yelled, "Doesn't 7 years of bad luck mean anything to you?!" The driver still was shooting. "Rose, GET DOWN!" shouted Ben in fear. The Gates duo then got back into the car. "Go!" Ben ordered to Riley. Then they were off chasing the catering van.

As the car speed, Rose was close to peeing her pants, or at least fainting right on the spot.

"Once we catch them what are we going to do?" asked Riley, as he drove. "I'm working on it." retorted Ben. They made a sharp turn, to avoid hitting a bus. The ride started to get bumpy, just as the gang was driving in a construction site. Riley jerked to the wheel to avoid skidding.

Suddenly, a door of Ian's ride popped open, carrying a screaming Abigail Chase, clinging for life.

"Aw!" I always wanted to do that!" whined Rose. "You will, in about 10 years." said a sarcastic Ben. "Holy Lord!" Riley exclaimed. Just then, gunfire opened, causing Rose to hit the deck.

"Get me next to her!" Ben commanded, opening the passenger door. There was a honk, and Rose closed her eyes, waiting for the horror to greet her. Just by luck, everything was okay.

"Dad!" she screamed. But a sharp turn caused her to hurry back to the passenger seat and buckle up. She tried to turn, but the child-lock feature of the seatbelt stopped her.

"Abigail!" she heard her dad scream. He grabbed Abigail's hand, and the two adults landed in the van. But surprisingly, Dr. Chase had no "Declaration" in her hands.

Back in Ian's van…

"They're gone." Shaw reported. "It's alright. This is all we need." Ian said, holding up the "Declaration." But as he rolled it out, he saw a plastic rose drop to the ground with a white note on it. He picked it up with mere curiosity.

 _Nice try, suckers._ the note read in bold black letters.

"Uh boss, you might want to take a look at this." said Phil, holding up the Declaration. Ian peered into the document and saw a tag that read "National Archives Replica. $35.00." His face turned a tomato red. "Well done Gates. Well done." he muttered before slamming the wall.

Back in Riley's van…

"Everybody ok?" Rose asked. Before anybody could answer, Dr. Chase blurted out, "Those lunatics…"

"You're not hurt are you?" asked Ben.

"You're all lunatics!" she yelled.

"Are you hungry?" Ben asked.

"What?"

"Are you all right?"

"Still a little on edge from being shot at but I'll be okay. Thanks for asking." piped up Riley. Rose was not that much for joy after tense situations, but that one made her laugh.

"I'm not all right! Those men have the Declaration of Independence!" Dr. Chase was still shouting.

"She lost it?!" cried Riley.

"They don't have it." said Rose as she pulled out a tube, showing Dr. Chase the real Declaration. "See? It's right here, nice and protected. Now, can you please calm down?"

"Give me that!" Dr. Chase lunged for the document.

"You're still shouting. And it's really starting to annoy." Ben said. "You could do well Dr. Chase, to be a bit more civilized in this instance."

"Wait a minute. If this is the real one, what did they get?" Abigail asked.

"Simple, a souvenir" Rose retorted. "Dad thought it might have been a good idea to have a duplicate. Turns out he was right."

"Actually, I had to pay for the souvenir and the real one so, you owe me $35, plus tax." clarified Ben.

"Genius" muttered Riley.

"Who were those men?" asked Abigail, perplexed.

"Just the evil guys we warned you who were gonna steal the Declaration." said Rose.

"Guess who didn't believe us?" Riley spoke from the driver's seat

"We did the only thing to keep it safe. In other words, those men aren't the good guys. **We're** the good guys."

"Verdammt! Give me that!" yelled Abigail. "You know something?" asked Ben. "You're shouting again."

"Pretty sure she was swearing too." Rose chimed in.

"Well, we probably deserve that."

"What are we going to do with her while we look at the map of mystery?" asked Riley.

"There is not a treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence." Abigail interrupted before Ben could speak.

"And there's no good chance anyone can steal this either." Rose said, holding up the tube that held the Declaration.

"We level with you 100%. Everything we told you, was the truth." said Ben.

"I want that document Mr. Brown."

"Ok, my dad's name is not Brown. And my name's not Christine. It's Rose Gates, my dad is Ben Gates, and the guy driving this van is Mr. Riley Poole. So we level with you 90%."

"Wait a minute did you just say 'Gates'?" Ben and Rise nodded. "Gates?" _3…2…1._ Rose thought. "You're that family with the conspiracy theory about the founding fathers?"

Rose groaned in annoyance. "For the 122nd time people! It is not a conspiracy theory!"

"Per se." Riley muttered.

"You know what I take it back." Dr. Chase started to chuckle. "You're not really liars. You're insane."

 _Where have I heard that before?_ Ben thought.

"Wait." She said turning to Rose. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"That my friend is a story for another day." Rose shot back. "Let's just focus on the matters at hand. Cappiche?"

"Would one of those 'matters at hand' involve figuring out where to do a couple of tests on the document?" asked Ben.

Before Rose could talk, Abigail spoke up-again.

"You can't seriously intend to run chemical tests on the Declaration of Independence, in the back of a moving van!"

"We have a clean-room environment all set up. EDS suits, a particulate air filtration system, the whole shebang." Riley put in.

"In other words, we're going home." Rose said joyfully.

"Really?" remarked an impressed Dr. Chase.

"We can't really go back there. At least, not tonight." said Ben, his voice filled with worry.

"What? Why not?" Riley and Rose spoke in unison.

Back at the Archives surveillance room…

"Here's the guy." Peter Saduskey, and his crew of FBI agents were looking at the video tapes of the gift store.

"Hey chief." said Agent Eisenhower. "Yeah?" asked Saduskey. "In the preservation room, we found a plastic rose with a note on it." "Who sends a love note in a heist like this?" asked Agent Dawn. "Apparently, whoever wrote it, never meant to send it as a love note. In the note it says, 'I'm sorry, but I don't have a choice. It's only temporary.'" Eisenhower read. "Sounds more like an apology note." remarked Agent Saduskey. "That's not all, it's signed by someone who goes by the name, 'R.P.G.'" Saduskey pondered for a minute. "Agent Dawn, get access to any state file with that initial." "Yes sir."

"Dr Herbert said Dr Chase introduced him as Mr. Brown." said an FBI agent. "Not on the guest list."

"Now, the gift-store clerk - she said he seemed well, 'flustered.' He tried to walk out with a copy of the Declaration of Independence without paying."

"He paid with a Visa though. 'Charge to Benjamin Gates.'"

"Did you say "Gates"?" asked Agent Dawn. "Yes." "That's funny, because I just figured out who left that note was. It actually someone who goes by the name Rosa Parks Gates. She's his daughter."

"Daughter huh?" asked Saduskey. "What else did you find out?"

" She's 12 years old, she dropped out of school, on account of being a 'bad influence on the other students', and she's currently homeschooled. She also has a tested IQ of 130"

"And what of her mother?"

"Her mother… died 2 years ago in a car accident. Poor kid"

"Do you think she could have helped her father steal the Declaration?" asked Eisenhower.

"It's possible." Saduskey replied.

"But how?"

"I don't know how, but somehow she played a major part in this."

"Once we arrest the Gates what are we going to do with them?"

"Rosa's father, already got plans for. The child herself, working on it."

Back in the van…

"A credit card slip?!" yelped Riley with a look of horror on his face. "Dude, we're all on the grid! They're gonna have you and Rose's records from forever! They're gonna have my records from forever!"

"I know. I know" Ben calmly replied. It's only a matter of minutes before the FBI show up at my front door."

"What are we going to do?" asked Rose. "We need those letters." Ben said, with realization. Abigail's face perked up with interest. "What letters?" she asked.

"Get off the road, take a right." Ben ordered Riley.

"What letters?"


End file.
